


Senki Zesshou Symphogear SFZ

by StirDrem



Category: Senki Zesshou Symphogear
Genre: F/F, Headcanon, Politics, Post XV, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22301467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StirDrem/pseuds/StirDrem
Summary: 5 years have passed since the events of XV. Ghosts of the past return with mysterious grudges, claiming to be part of an organization calling themselves the Round Table, wreaking havoc in their path. A young girl named Aria unwittingly gets roped into the mess, becoming a user of the Synchron System who fights alongside the remaining Symphogears. Not is all as it seems, as the truth behind Aria’s past is slowly revealed, and the Attuned has to come to terms with theirs..."Believe in the song of your heart, as the curtains rise to an extra encore…"(Chapters 1 and 2 rewritten!)
Relationships: Akatsuki Kirika/Tsukuyomi Shirabe, Kohinata Miku/Tachibana Hibiki, Maria Cadenzavna Eve/Kazanari Tsubasa
Comments: 11
Kudos: 20





	1. Awakening, Part 1

* * *

August 2, 8:18 PM  
Lydian Private Music Academy  
Classroom

“Do you know how many times you've been late to class?"

In a classroom filled with students, a teacher was yelling at one girl in particular.

The sunlight shone through the windows, reflected on the teacher's lavender locks and the student’s spiky, short dark gray hair. 

"...Fifth." The young girl replied, her head hanging low.

"Look, I know why you're always late to school, and I appreciate you helping people in need, but try not to lose track of time. You're the class president, aren't you? You have to set an example for the others." The teacher reprimanded, sighing. She lowers her voice, "Now then, return to your seat so we can start the lesson."

"Yes, ma'am!" The student’s emerald eyes lit up hearing those words. She proceeded to return to her seat, just like her teacher told her to.

“Honestly, why does she resemble that idiot so much…”

She swore she could hear her teacher mumbling something like that, but decided to not give it any thought. She returned to her seat by the window, heaving a long sigh.

“Chris-chan sure is harsh today, isn’t she?” The student next to her spoke, seeming to pay no mind to the depressing noise that’s coming from her mouth.

Hearing the name Chris-chan sure amused her a bit, though. It’s a nickname the students had given to their teacher, whose real name is Yukine Chris. That surname isn’t used by the students much, though, unless said teacher is really angry…

“So, Aria, who did you help today?” She asked to the gray-haired girl besides her.

“Well, let’s see… I helped an old lady cross the road, saved a cat stuck on a tree, found a lost child looking for her father…” Aria – as she was called – went on and on about the things she did earlier on in the morning, causing her friend to drop a sweat.

“A-Ahaha…” She nervously laughed. “You’re as impressive as always, huh?”

“HEY! YOU TWO! STOP TALKING IN CLASS!”

Their conversation was interrupted by a warning from the teacher that came like a shooting bullet.

Knowing what’s good for them, the pair of students quickly took their necessities out and stopped talking, with the intention to continue after class. 

* * *

August 2, 16:30 PM  
Lydian Private Music Academy  
Classroom

“Well, that’s all for today. If you have any questions, feel free to meet me in the teacher’s lounge. And if you don’t, have a nice weekend. “ The teacher dismissed the class as soon as the bell rang and lef.t

“Aaaaah, I’m beat.” The girl next to Aria spoke tiredly, stretching her arms upwards. “Oh yeah, can’t wait to watch that new episode of J*jo’s Bizarre Adventure! I wonder what kind of spaghetti Josuke will fix this week…”

Aria, though, sat still and said nothing.

Her friend eyed her suspiciously. She would have replied to her, usually, but not this time. And she has no idea why.

“Hey, Aria, what’s wrong?”

Her gray-haired friend continued to stare out of the window, the light of the sunset reflected in her eyes.

“…Something. Something’s wrong.”

A feeling of uneasiness had filled her, one she can’t just shake off so easily.

She can’t quite put a finger on it, though.

This overwhelming pressure in the air that she felt—

This anxiety—

Her thoughts were interrupted when the school sirens started blaring.

It’s not just any kind of siren, though. It’s not like there’s a fire or anything.

Something much worse—

“T-The Noise signal?!”

One word to describe this feeling popped up into her head—Fear.

…Noise.

Otherworldly monsters that launch their assault on humans, with the ability to turn everything it touches into a red mist instantly.

Thought to be wiped out for good, they’ve been appearing again and again recently for the past few months—

The door of the classroom suddenly slammed open, and standing there was their homeroom teacher that just left a few minutes ago.

“What are you two still doing here?! Get outta there and evacuate, quickly!”

The two girls nervously nodded, and followed after their teacher.

* * *

August 2, 16:40 PM  
Lydian Private Music Academy  
Hallway

Panicked footsteps echoed across the hallway. The two students were running for their dear lives towards the bunker, with their teacher tailing behind.

Suddenly, without warning, the wall to their side exploded. The resulting blast knocked the girls down, causing them to fall over.

Aria got up, her head spinning. She noticed her friend sprawled on the ground besides her and wincing in pain. She turned her head to the side, and noticed a thick pile of rubble in front of her, separating her from her teacher who was on the other side.

“You girls okay?!” Ms. Yukine yelled.

“Y-Yeah, we’re fine!” Aria shouted back. She quickly grabbed her friend, “Come on, Futamo, get up!”

She nodded, slowly getting back on her feet.

Aria took a look at her surroundings. The blast knocked her and Futamo forward, a bit further away from the rubble. She wanted to call out to her teacher, when she noticed a giant hole in the wall not far from the lavender-haired woman. 

From the newly-formed crevice, a group of grotesque creatures of various colors came crawling out. 

“N-Noise…!” Futamo gasped, her eyes wide in fear. She clung to Aria’s arm for support, who in turn gritted her teeth and slowly stepped back.

The monsters seemed to pay no attention to them, however, and turned their attention to Chris.

“Shit, what bad timing…!” The teacher cursed, gripping something around her neck, though Aria couldn’t quite make out what it is. “You two go on ahead, don’t worry about me!”

“But—! We can’t just leave you-!”

“I said GO!”

Aria’s protests were cut short by her teacher’s command. She reluctantly nodded, and continued to run towards the bunker while dragging her friend along.

On the way there, she swore she could hear some sort of singing coming from behind.

* * *

August 2, 16:45 PM  
Lydian Private Music Academy  
Bunker Entrance

“T-there it is!”

Futamo said happily as the giant metal door came into view.

The entrance to Lydian’s underground bunker, built to withstand natural disasters and most importantly, Noise attacks.

Such a safe haven was just within a few steps away, and soon they wouldn’t need to run no more.

But even despite all of that, Aria just couldn’t bring herself to do it. She stopped dead in her tracks.

Her friend noticed this, and turned around.

“Aria, what’s wrong? We’re almost there!”

“Sorry, Futamo… I can’t just keep running away, after all.”

“What are you talking about? It’s too dangerous!” Futamo rushed to her side, grabbing onto her arm. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Futamo, you go inside and keep everyone calm. That’s one of your specialties, right?” Aria said with a soft smile, yanking her arm away from her friend’s grasp. “I’ll come back alive, I promise, even if it kills me!”

Aria spun around and broke into a sprint, heading back to where they came from, leaving her friend in shock.

* * *

August 2, 17:02 PM  
Lydian Private Music Academy  
Schoolyard

Somehow or another, Aria found herself outside in the schoolyard. Her teacher is nowhere in sight, broken rubbles and whatever remains of the school’s building being all that greeted her.

She continued to run, looking around until she spotted something—

A hooded figure, running from a group of Noises.

_“Crap! I have to do something…!”_

Aria spotted a broken metal pipe on the ground, and without thinking twice, she picked it up while running. Catching up to them after a few seconds, she then hurled the pipe at one of the smallest Noise with all her strength. The impact caused the small, round-shaped monster to fly backwards, flying into the other Noises and causing them to fall akin to a bowling ball.

“Are you alright?!” Aria hurriedly ran over to the hooded person’s side, grabbing their hand to help them get up. 

“A-ah… Yes, I’m fine.”

Aria raised her brow. They seem oddly calm about this.

Moreover, person…?

The hand she held didn’t exactly _feel_ like what a human’s hand should.

Before she could think about it any further, Aria noticed the Noise had gotten back on their feet, surrounding them.

“Shit…!”

She decided to put it aside for now – maybe it was just her imagination, after all – and started thinking of ways to survive—

Suddenly, several pink-colored energy blasts flew out of nowhere and hit the Noises dead on. They disintegrated into dust within seconds, as if they weren’t ever there.

Aria turned her head towards the direction where the shots that saved her life came from, and noticed a familiar face—

“Y-you’re--! MS. YUKINE?!”

Aria couldn’t help but cry out in surprise. Her teacher had a whole different reaction, however—

“ARE YOU AN IDIOT?! I told you to RUN, didn’t I?!”

Her teacher’s warnings didn’t faze her, however, as Aria was too preoccupied with another thing – what her teacher was wearing at the moment. She was wearing a skin-tight bodysuit with red accents, and on her chest there was some sort of a gold-colored flower with red borders. Her body was covered in red-colored pieces of armor, and in her hand, she was holding a pair of guns.

Aria was astonished—no, she was _entranced_ by the design! It reminded her of the armored, masked heroes that she had always admired. She knows that’s not a really good comparison, but nonetheless—

“HEY! What are you gawking at?!” Ms. Yukine’s warning snapped Aria out of her mental ramble. “Go on, take her and run!”

She aimed her guns forward, shooting down a few Noise that were flying in their direction.

“R-Right!”

Aria grabbed the hooded person’s hand once again, and ran away as fast as possible towards the bunker.

The thoughts that she discarded earlier came rushing back.

This… hand that she’s holding, really does not feel like a human’s.

While she was pondering about such a fact, however, she didn’t notice that a large group of Noise had blocked their path.

“Ah, shit!”

Cursing, she pulled to a halt.

The Noises inched closer and closer towards the two.

Aria closed her eyes, bracing herself for incoming death—

…

But nothing happened.

The Noises had stopped moving for some reason.

Aria looked around, confused, when the monsters suddenly separated, making way for something—

A large man stepped out, wearing set of deep blue, knight-like armor that covered his entire body. He had blonde hair – strange, because his face looked Japanese, Aria thought – and a large scar across his face.

Sensing a threatening aura from the man, she assumed a battle stance.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here? A rat and a wannabe hero.” The man spoke up.

His piercing eyes focused on Aria, observing her from top to bottom.

Seeming to notice something, he suddenly laughed out loud.

“Fuhahahah! To think that I would find _you_ alive, and here of all places! How intriguing! How sad, for it to end today…” The man glanced over to the hooded person, at the box she was holding. “And you, the rat over there. Just what do you plan to do with that prototype? …Though, I suppose it doesn’t matter either way, seeing as you two will die here under my hands.”

The man raised his hand, and the Noises started moving again.

“I will not allow it!”

The hooded person pulled out what looked like a small flask and threw it against the ground, creating some sort of smoke screen. With the Noises staggered, the two used the chance to run.

* * *

August 2, 17:20 PM  
Lydian Private Music Academy  
Classroom

Aria and the hooded figure managed to find an abandoned classroom to hide in. After finishing her makeshift barricade by stacking every furniture she could find against the door, Aria plopped down on the ground to catch her breath.

“You… must be Aria, right?” The hooded girl asked.

“Y-Yes, I am…?” Aria answered, confused. Have they met before? She’s pretty sure this is their first meeting…

“…”That person” wanted to give this to you…”

“I’m sorry, who?”

The hooded girl presented the box she was holding to Aria, opening it.

“W-whoa, this is—!”

Inside was a strange device that she has never seen before. It had a prominent hexagonal design on its fact, and a lever on the side in the shape of a music note.

Aria was oddly excited. She doesn’t know what this thing _is_ , but she has a pretty good idea of what it _does._ If the countless episodes of masked, karate bugman superheroes she has seen has taught her anything, then there’s no mistaking it. This thing must be—!

Aria picked it up without a second thought, and a strange feeling ran through her body.

“This is the Synchron System. It will provide you a way to fight the Noise more effi—“

The explanation was cut short when the door of the classroom flung open, sending the wooden furniture flying everywhere. The knight from before entered the room, a horde of Noise following him.

“This hide and seek of ours is over.”

Aria immediately knew what to do.

She quickly put the device on her belly. Belt straps flew out from both sides, flying around her waist before connecting and securing it to her body.

The Noise were getting closer and closer with each passing second.

But despite that, Aria felt extremely calm.

She held onto the lever and pushed it down, an unknown yet familiar song filling her head.

She opened her mouth, singing the foreign, yet somehow familiar melody—

A white light flashed, bathing the entire room in its glow.

* * *

August 2, 17:34 PM  
SONG HQ  
Main Control Room

Meanwhile, in what looked like to be the mission control room of a military headquarters, its personnels were busy typing away on their computers. Several large monitor screens in the center of the room were broadcasting the attack that is currently happening at Lydian.

A lone woman stood at the bridge, observing the situation with her fists clenched. She had cream-colored hair that reached around her shoulders, and an orange scarf across her neck.

“Chris and the others are in danger… I’m heading out now!”

But before she could do anything, the main computer screen started flashing rapidly.

“Wait, Commander! A new Aufwachen waveform has been detected!”

“What?!”

The woman stopped in her tracks, turning her eyes to the monitor. She stared in silence, not sure of what to say…

A single word appeared on the screen, bringing with it a puzzling mystery to all who knew what it meant:

**AVALON**


	2. Awakening, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who has read chapter 1, 2 of the previous version, please reread them as a newer version has been written. A lot of new details have been added.

* * *

August 2, 17:34 PM  
SONG HQ  
Main Control Room

“Commander Hibiki, do you want some coffee?”

Under the sea lay a uniquely-shaped submarine, where inside a group of people were working to maintain the peace of the land where the sun never set.

The group consisted of 4 people: One male and one female who wore blue uniforms, a girl wearing a white coat who looked like she’s too young to work, and a woman with short brown hair, staring intensely at the screen.

“Ah, yes. Thank you very much, Aoi-san. But please, don’t call me Commander. I’m still not used to that title yet…” The woman replied to the staff member, scratching her head with a sheepish smile on her face.

Her name was Hibiki Tachibana, the one who had saved the world countless times in the past along with her friends.

She recently became the new commander of the organization S.O.N.G after her predecessor retired; as such, she had not gotten used to being in charge yet.

“Look at you… A few years ago you were just a girl who constantly yelled and punched. Now you’re standing here as the commander. I’m so proud of you…” The staff member fakingly shed a tear.

“Aoi-san, please don’t tease me like that!”

Everyone else in the room chuckled.

“Hibiki-san, we just got a video message from Tsubasa-san and Maria-san, do you want to see it?”

“Really?! I mean, is that so?” Hibiki almost jumped from joy, but quickly tried to regain her composure with a fake cough.

“Do you want to view it?” the other staff member asked.

“Yes, please! ...As much as I want to say that, I think watching it along with Miku, Chris, Kirika, and Shirabe would be better.”

“You’re still the same as always, huh?”

Their conversation was cut short by an alarm appearing on the screen.

“Alca-Noise detected! The location is… Lydian Academy!” The small girl spoke up this time.

“What?!” 

Lydian Private Music Academy.

She was extremely shocked at hearing the name again. Her previous school, filled with memories she spent with her friends.

The school had been attacked in the past by the Noise, who had destroyed the entire building, but luckily no one was harmed at that time.

But who can say the same for this time?

“Chris-san has engaged in battle!”

Hearing that, the commander felt a bit at ease, but the uneasiness still remained.

Live camera footage of the scene was displayed on the screen, through which they suddenly spotted two figures running away from the Noise.

“There are still people outside?!”

Seeing that her friend was still being occupied by other groups of Noise, Hibiki decided to take the matter into her own hands.

“Chris and the others are in danger… I’m heading out now!”

But no sooner had she planned to hit the exit, another alarm rang.

This time for another reason.

“Commander, a new Aufwachen waveform has been detected!”

* * *

August 2, 17:33 PM  
Lydian Private Music Academy  
Classroom

**_"Avalon shilru la tron”_ **

A white light flashed, bathing the entire school in its glow.

Chris Yukine, who had just finished cleaning up the Noise, noticed it first.

“What the hell is happening in there?!”

Inside the room, three figures stood.

Standing out the most was a girl, cladded in armor.

A white cloak appeared on her waist, flowing gently to the wind.

Bearing an appearance similar to her teacher’s, the sunset shone on her armor, giving it an orange hue, as if a fire had started to burn in her.

“H-How…! A complete transformation isn’t meant to be possible yet…!” The blonde man yelled in frustration, as if something in him just snapped.

“It doesn’t seem impossible to me,” Aria snarkily responded, her face beaming with joy and excitement.

She couldn’t believe it!

To be able to transform, just like the masked heroes she admired…

A dream she had for a long time finally came true, and she’s way more excited than she should be.

The Noise who had been cornering her moments ago had all been disintegrated by the light.

“Getting ahead of ourselves, aren’t we?!” The man charged at her angrily, the blade already in his hand.

Dodging by the hairline, Aria countered by launching her fist forward. The sudden movement caught the man off-guard, her fist colliding with his face and sending him flying into a nearby wall.

Amazed at her own newfound strength, Aria stared at her hand in bewilderment. A confident smile spread across her face, as she assumed a battle stance.

“Alright… I can do this!”

“Don’t get too cocky now, mongrel!”

The man in armor spoke up. The punch may have sent him flying, but beyond that there doesn’t seem to be any damage on him. He quickly rose up, using his sword to balance himself. Back on his feet, he then readied his blade, striking a stance as well.

The two shared an intense stare, eyes locking down each other.

As if on cue, the both of them leaped forward at the same time.

“Haaaaah!”

“Hooooh!”

Aria’s fist collided with the metal of the knight’s blade. Taking turns, the two traded blows almost equally.

Punches are blocked, swings are parried. The cycle repeated on and on, seeming like there’s no end to their rush of attacks.

As this kept up, a smirk appeared on the knight’s visage.

“You’re certainly strong… But it’s plain to see that you’re too inexperienced!”

“The hell did you say?!”

Satisfied that his meager taunt worked, the man took the scabbard by his waist with his free hand. He swung it upwards, managing to parry both of Aria’s fists in one swift movement.

In that same second, the bird-like design on his blade’s hilt emitted an azure glow. The light spread to the blade, illuminating the ancient runes carved along it.

“Now, fare thee well!”

The knight swung his sword in an arc, unleashing a blue-colored energy wave that collided with Aria. The blast knocked her a few meters back, causing her to roll on the ground upon landing.

_“Dammit, isn’t this guy supposed to be the first enemy?! How is he suddenly THIS competent?!"_

Aria slowly recovered, looking all over herself. She shook her gauntlet-clad hands several times, before gripping the belt as if she’s looking for something.

“God, does this thing not have a weapon or something?!”

Unable to find a weapon of her own, she settled to look for one in her surroundings instead. Spotting the teacher’s desk that had been thrown earlier not far from her, an idea popped up into her head.

“Hey, asshole! Catch!”

Aria picked up the wooden furniture with both of her hands, managing to lift it over head easily. With all the force she could muster, she hurled it at the enemy standing before her.

As if unfazed, the knight simply swung his sword upwards and sliced the desk in two.

But the next thing he knew, Aria had vanished along with the hooded girl.

"Tch..."

* * *

August 2, 17:40 PM  
Lydian Private Music Academy  
Track Field

Aria slowed down, exhausted from all the running she did. She took a quick look behind and around her, and noticed nothing out of the ordinary.

"Seems like he stopped chasing us..." She turns to the girl besides her. "You okay, there?"

No response.

"H-Hey, you alright?"

“Please…leave me behind.” The girl suddenly said.

“H-Huh? Aren’t you being chased by that guy?”

“Yes, but…my purpose was to give you this item, and now that you’ve received it, I have no more reason to live.”

“W-wha…” Aria couldn’t comprehend what she was saying.

The hooded girl suddenly collapsed.

“Hey! What’s wrong?!”

“My energy…has reached its limit…Running continuously…for three months really took its toll…”

Pulling the cloth that was covering her face down revealed a brunette girl, her face was beautiful, akin to that of a doll, but was tainted by cracks running along her face, which Aria found strange.

“…But, finding you at the end of my lifespan…Truly a miracle…”

“Why? Why would you go so far for me?”

Aria couldn’t understand.

Why would someone she had just met risk their life for her?

“…She told me…that you would be the one…to bring an end to this…war…”

Did she just hear something important?

War?

“…And a message…she told me to deliver to you…” The hooded girl was on her last breath, her voice sounding more and more mechanical every second.

“Believe…in the song…of your…heart…” The voice stopped.

“Hey…HEY!” Aria shook the girl.

Her eyes were completely devoid of life. She was now nothing more than a lifeless doll.

Was this a dream, or was this reality?

She didn’t know.

“What the hell is going on here?!” A familiar voice was heard, breaking the silence.

“Ah…” Aria turned around to find her teacher standing there.

“You…!” Chris breathed out, shocked at seeing her student’s appearance.

But she was even more shocked when she saw the person in Aria’s arms. The hooded girl she saw just a moment ago, now lay there motionless, her limbs limp as if she had her strings cut.

“Ah, no…this is…” She tried to speak, but stopped when she felt something run down her cheek.

“…Tears?” 

“Did she…” Chris mumbled quietly.

Aria did not say anything.

She had never experienced this before.

Yet, this feeling of desperation felt somewhat familiar.

The feeling of hopelessness, of losing someone.

Of failing to save someone.

The sound of approaching helicopters filled the air, and upon arrival, an armor-clad woman dropped down to the ground, rushing to their position.

“Chris-chan!” 

“Tachibana, what took you so long?!”

“Some stuff came up along the way! And you called my name again!” Hibiki tried to hug Chris, but was immediately pushed away.

“Idiot! Get away from me!” Chris shouted, her face turning bright red.

“Aww. I just want to express my gratitude.” Hibiki pouted, before she quickly switched to the main point, “A new Symphogear user has just been detected.”

“That’s her over there.” Chris pointed behind her back

Upon turning to look at her, Hibiki quickly realized the situation.

She slowly approached and put her hand on Aria’s shoulder.

“Hey.” Hibiki greeted her.

With her back to her, Aria had not realized who had just joined them. Upon feeling Hibiki’s hand on her shoulder, she swiftly turned around.

And her face lit up in surprise.

“You’re…!”

She had seen her many times before.

Hibiki Tachibana, the commander of S.O.N.G, who risked her life to defend the world from the threat known as the Noise. 

“What’s her name?” Hibiki continued, forcing Aria out of her stupor.

“…I…I don’t know. I just met her today. She told me all these strange things, like that I’m the chosen one or something. She gave me this belt and then just... die like that. I have no idea what’s going on!” Aria yelled. Having already lowered the girl to the ground, she wiped away her tears, grabbing onto the device on her waist.

“...What’s your name?” Hibiki asked her with a soft tone of voice.

“...Aria Inizio.”

“Aria-chan, then. Let’s go back to our base and we’ll have a proper talk, ok?” Hibiki reached out her hand to Aria, hoping she would take it.

But, the unexpected happened.

Aria suddenly slapped away her hand. When Hibiki looked upon her again, she saw her face filled with fear instead.

The moment when Hibiki reached out her hand to her, an image flashed within Aria’s mind.

An enclosed area. Men and women wearing white coats standing in front of her.

They reached out their hands towards her, plunging her into darkness.

She stood up and ran, leaving the other two behind.

“She reminded me a lot of you a lot in the past, Chris-chan.”

“…Shut up.”

A drop of water fell on Hibiki’s nose.

“Ah…”

It had started to rain.

A downpour.

* * *

Rain.

It beatdown on Aria relentlessly, as if trying to wash away her tears, pain, and the sadness.

At the moment, she was glad for it, as no one would notice she was crying.

After some time, she had finally calmed down.

Removing the belt from her waist, her armor disappeared into streaks of light.

It was then she remembered the bunker. Grasping the belt tightly, she dashed to it, hoping to her fumbled meeting with one of her heroes.

Hibiki and Chris sighed as they watched Aria disappear. Nothing they could do about that in the moment. They redirected their focus to the girl on the ground.

Crouching down, Hibiki closed her eyes and prayed.

“May you rest in peace.”

When she opened her eyes, she squinted, noticing the cracks on the girl’s face

Having realized something, Hibiki suddenly went and grab onto the cloth that was covering her body…

…and ripped it open, revealing the bare body beneath it.

“Oi?! What the hell are you doing?!!” Chris was surprised by her action.

“…Look.” Hibiki pointed at the body.

“…This is…!”

A mechanical body.

A doll.

It took a moment for Chris to realize, her face filled with shock.

“Auto…scorer…?!”

* * *

August 2, 18:00 PM  
Lydian Private Music Academy  
Bunker

Meeting her friend at the bunker, Futamo rushed toward Aria like a rocket.

“Dummy! Dummy! Dummy! I was really worried about you! I- I thought that y-you…” She cried out, lightly hitting Aria’s chest repeatedly. She didn’t even care that her friend was dripping wet from the rain.

Before coming to meet her, Aria had hidden the device inside one of the classrooms so as not to let her friend suspect anything.

“I’m sorry.”

Futamo brought her head up and looked at her face “...Did you...cry?” she asked, noticing Aria’s red eyes. The braided girl inched closer and grabbed her face, taking Aria by surprise.

“Ah...Some dust flew into my eyes when I ran here. You don’t have to worry.” Aria said, trying her best not to meet Futamo’s gaze. It was a weak lie considering it was raining, but she couldn’t think of anything better to say.

“Hmm...If you say so.” Futamo said. “But really, you gotta treasure yourself more! I know you want to be a hero, but this is suicide, you know?!”

“...Got it. Thanks for worrying about me. I appreciate it.” Aria let out a smile.

Most of all, she was glad to see her friend fine and well.

Shocked by Aria’s sudden gratitude towards her, Futamo blushed greatly before she changed the subject. “W-Well...you said you were checking on Chris-san, weren’t you? Is she ok?”

“She...She’s fine. Someone came to pick her up.” Aria said. She couldn’t exactly tell that their teacher was a Symphogear user after all.

“Is that so?” Futamo let out a sigh of relief.

“...These wet clothes are making me really uncomfortable.”

“Let’s go home then.”

* * *

August 2, 18:10 PM  
Aria's Apartment

After walking back with her friend, they departed, saying goodbye to one another when their route separated.

Aria arrived at her home, a room in a small apartment located in a quiet area.

It was adorned with posters and collectible items of every kind in every corner of the room, mostly from the masked heroes series that she loved to watch. For strangers who didn’t know her, it would be a sight to see.

She was drenched from top to bottom, so she had to change first.

After a quick shower, she went to observe the device that girl had given her.

She did not know what to think of it.

Why?

Why did this happen to her?

Granted, having a belt that could actually transform was a dream to her, but not like this.

Someone died for her.

That girl was searching for her.

She said that she would be the one to stop the war.

What war?

And what was that image she saw at that moment?

She didn’t know.

“Argh! This isn’t some kind of Kamen Rider show!” She yelled out in frustration and laid down on the bed, putting the device aside.

Looking at the Kamen Rider poster she had glued onto the ceiling of all places, she thought to herself, “If it was them, what would they do in this situation?” 

With that in mind, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **EXTRA:** Hibiki drank the coffee, but it's too bitter for her.


	3. Overture, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who have already read chapter 1 and 2, we advise you to reread them as they've been rewritten heavily!

January 1, 2051  
2:?? AM

_On that fateful day…_

_“Hey, guys! Over here!”_

_A girl was found._

_“Quickly! Help me move these rocks! There’s someone stuck here!”_

_She couldn’t remember anything._

_All she felt was emptiness, a gaping void inside her._

_Something had been lost._

_That’s right, this feeling was the same as…_

* * *

August 3, 7:02 AM  
Aria’s Apartment

Aria woke up, her eyes struggling to open themselves.

An incredible feeling of weariness ran all over her body, preventing her from getting up. She groaned as she shifted her body a bit, the soreness she felt not helping.

She glanced at the unusual clock on the wall, showing complex math equations instead of simple numbers.

“7 o’clock…”

It’s not like she was particularly fond of math or anything, it was just a novelty item that costed her quite a lot for a regular wall clock.

Anyway, it’s still too early.

The alluring softness of the pillow was too tempting to her, beckoning her to go back to sleep.

But after a few seconds of consideration, she forced herself up, separating from her dear pillow and grabbed her phone.

“Uwah… 23 new mails…”

Most of it was from her dear friend.

“Hmm?” One of the mails stood out, coming from a different sender. It was from her school.

She tapped on the message, expecting for the worst, but what it said was different than what she had anticipated.

“Due to yesterday Noise’s attack, Lydian Private Music Academy is now closed temporarily for a few days for maintenance. All teachers and students please take note and look out for further announcements in the future.”

Aria mentally breathed a sigh of relief, satisfied to know that it wasn’t a punishment directed at her or anything.

“So school’s off today, huh?” Aria didn’t know what to think of it, whether or not she should feel happy.

She did know a certain someone who would be happy with this news, though.

After finishing her morning chores, she would spend her remaining day trying to figure out what was up with that device she obtained.

* * *

August 3, 8:17 AM

“I’m coming in!” Futamo barged into Aria’s room, finding that the door isn’t even locked for some reason.

“You kids these days really have no manners, huh?” The white-haired teacher besides her sighed dejectedly.

“It’s fine, it’s fine! She won’t mind!”

“It’s not a matter if she minds or not…”

“Ah…” Futamo was about to muster another reply, but quickly shut her mouth when the two noticed someone doing odd poses in front of the mirror without a care in the world.

“Something like this…? Or maybe…” The unknowing girl murmured to herself, continuously switching poses. Arms crossed, legs spread, hand over her eye…

She was so in her own world that the other two couldn’t feel like interjecting.

“How about…this!” Aria did a spin, only to meet her audience.

An awkward silence filled the room—

“…Oh.” The three of them spoke up at the same time.

* * *

“But to think that she lives here of all places…” Chris took a closer look to the building Aria lived in, and then to the neighborhood around it.

“We’re practically neighbors at this point…” She murmured to herself, not expecting one of her students to live this near herself.

“Erm…Anyway, Ms. Chris, why are you—“ Futamo attempted to ask her teacher the reason why she was here in front of her friend’s home, but stopped when she heard the door opening.

Aria finally came out of her room, wearing something more reasonable while the other two stood outside waiting.

“So you two saw me doing that, eh…” Aria sulked, her face beet red from embarrassment.

“Don’t worry! It wasn’t that much of a surprise, I mean, considering I know what you’re into…” Her friend reassured her.

“…That doesn’t really help, you know?”

“Are you two done yet?” The one who remained silent until then, Chris Yukine finally spoke up.

“Ah, yeah… W-wait a minute! Ms. Yukine?! Why the h- why are you here too?!” Aria finally noticed the older woman, pointing a finger at her in surprise. 

The two were the pairing she had least expected to visit her house.

“I came to talk to you about something, but it seems that your friend here had the same idea.”

 _“Something she wants to talk about?”_ Aria thought.

Memories of yesterday’s events came rushing into her head.

The Noise attack, her teacher being a Symphogear, the transforming…

…Ah, right, it’s probably that.

No, _definitely_ that.

If it was possible, she would rather not talk about it…

“Aria, didn’t you read my text? I told you I would be coming over, didn’t I?” Futamo interjected.

“Ah… Right…” Aria remembered. Her friend did say that in one of the dozens of texts she received but only skimmed over just a bit earlier.

“Sorry…I forgot.” Aria said apologetically, having been too distracted with her new toy, “You said that we’re going to visit Rumiko today, right?”

Rumiko was one of their friends that went to the same school as theirs, but belonged to a different class.

Futamo nodded. “That’s right. She didn’t come to school yesterday, so I’m worried about her.”

“Well, I mean, as much as I want to go with you…” Aria hesitated, her eyes shifting to look at her teacher who was standing with her arms crossed in the corner.

Their teacher had been nice enough to let them talk, but if she waits any longer Aria feels like she might explode.

“Sorry, Futamo. I don’t think I can go with you. Can you send Rumiko my regards?” Aria clapped her hand together apologetically.

“…Is it about yesterday’s Noise attack?”

Futamo might be a bit dense, but she wasn’t dumb.

From her expression and the people standing here, she could tell.

Yesterday Aria ran to find their teacher, so something must have had happened then.

“…” The gray-haired girl only responded in silence.

“…There’s no other way then, huh?” Futamo let out a sigh before continuing. “I understand. I’ll send Rumiko your regards. Make sure to tell me everything when I get back, okay?”

Aria awkwardly nodded, watching the back of her friend as she left and soon vanished from sight.

“You sure you really okay with that?” The one who had been staying silent most of the time, Chris Yukine finally spoke up.

“…Yeah.”

Aria sighed.

Yeah, she figured she will have to deal with this sometime anyway. No sense in procrastinating it.

“Now then…”

_*Click*_

“Hmm?” Aria heard a particular noise and a feeling of cold metal wrapping around her arms.

“I need you to come with me.”

“Huh?! What—Am I being arrested?!” Aria screamed as she looked onto the handcuff that had locked her hands together.

* * *

Handcuffed, Aria was dragged away by Chris into a nearby car that seemed to have been waiting for them.

She hung her head low the entire time, the metal binding her wrists actually starting to make her feel like a criminal that did something wrong.

She was glad the neighborhood is pretty quiet at this time of the day…

…

An awkward silence filled the car as soon as they started their journey.

Unable to stand the atmosphere, Aria decided to ask something she was curious about—

“Where exactly are we going?” She asked her teacher.

The car was going in a direction unfamiliar to her. It seems like it’ll take a while, too.

“You’ll know when you get there.”

…An unsatisfying and confusing answer.

Still, Aria thinks she’s getting the gist of what’s going on.

The Symphogear is a military weapon, and information about it – especially its members – is kept secret from the general public. The fact that Aria managed to come across her teacher transformed was an accident.

And at that moment, Aria managed to transform into something resembling a Symphogear as well, so they’re probably going to make sure that she be put under strict supervision to prevent her from using it wrongly.

Worst case scenario, they ask for the device back.

…She doesn’t want to part with her new toy just yet.

* * *

August 3, 9:06 A.M.  
Seaside Dock

A moment later, the car stopped at a place that seemed to be some sort of harbor.

A group of people in black vests were lined up as if awaiting their arrival.

The car then stopped and Aria was told to step out.

“Chris-san! You’ve arrived!” A high-pitched female voice was heard.

“More or less. I’ve brought the girl.” Chris replied to her, pointing towards where Aria was standing with her thumb.

Aria was lead towards her teacher by the aforementioned group of people.

“Good morning, Aria-san. My name is Elfnein. Nice to meet you.”

Aria looked around, but to her confusion, she saw no one.

Then she looked down and saw a little girl.

“Eh?” She looked at the small girl and then to her teacher as if trying to confirm the person she needed to talk to was the girl.

“That’s the person.” Chris answered bluntly.

“E-EH?!” Aria couldn’t believe it. Why is this literal child involved in some big top-secret military organization?! Is this even legal?!

“I know what you’re thinking, but she’s older than you think. Actually, probably even older than you. ”

Aria’s mouth opened in surprise.

…Yeah, now that she thinks about it…

In a world where the appearance of monstrous beings such as the Noise was treated as a regular occurrence…

_“Yeah, I guess someone looking younger than they actually are isn’t actually that far fetched…”_

After calming her nerves for a bit, she focused on the thing the small girl was holding.

“I’m sorry for forcing this on you, but before we can proceed any further, we need you to sign this paper over here.” Elfnein said, handing Aria the bundle of papers stapled onto a clipboard.

Using her cuffed hands, Aria grabbed the stack of documents and began to read it.

It reads like some sort of non-disclosure agreement, having some legal conditions that forbid her from talking about the Symphogears to normal people, nor disclosing the identities of the other Symphogears…

In the end, she didn’t find anything unusual in it, though the fact that she had to sign something like this is pretty bizarre in the first place.

And the people here don’t seem to have any malicious or ulterior motives…

In the end, Aria signed the document, even if she was a bit reluctant to do so. Elfnein then retrieved it from her hands, rechecking it before speaking, “Thank you for your cooperation, Aria-san.”

As she said that, one of the men in black approached Aria to remove her handcuffs.

Savoring the feeling of her hands being freed, Aria thanked the person silently.

Elfnein took something out from her pocket that looked like a transceiver and spoke into it, “Aoi-san, Sakuya-san. We’ve finished our business here. …Okay, roger.”

A few seconds have passed, and nothing happened.

Suddenly, waves raised from the water in front of them. A large shadow formed below the surface, and something huge rose up from the depths—

Despite having never seen one with her own eyes before, Aria knew what it was immediately.

“A submarine?!” Aria let out a voice in surprise.

* * *

“Wow…” The girl looked around the interior of the submarine in amazement as she closely followed behind her teacher.

She had never thought to see a submarine with her own two eyes, let alone entering one.

She was screaming with excitement inside, and could barely contain it.

“Awesome…”

After walking for a while, the light in the submarine suddenly went out, turning the entire hallway dark.

“Eh? What happened?!” Their group of people started to freak out.

“What’s going on?” Chris asked Elfnein.

“I-I’m not sure myself! Let me check…” The little girl took out her transceiver from before and started calling somebody, “Yes…yes…”

“It seems that something happened in the generator room, but they told us not to worry as the power will be back in a few minutes.” The girl reaffirmed everyone, “…but it’s odd, if the generator was about to fail I should have noticed it immediately…”

Aria blinked in confusion at the other two people talking in front of her, but it’s not like they can see each other that well with the room being this dark.

The only question in her mind is “this thing’s not going to sink just because the power went out, right?”, but she decided to not bring that up. Surely such a high tech submarine will have measures against that sort of thing... She hopes. 

Chris, on the other hand, was thinking deeply about something, her hand on her chin.

“…Wait a minute, this couldn’t be it, right?” She seemed to have remembered something, “No, no, no, that would be too absurd, but this _is_ Tachibana we’re talking about…” she mumbled to herself.

“W-Well then, why don’t we continue? Standing around here wouldn’t do us any good, would it? Besides, they said the power is coming back soon anyway…” Aria decided to speak up, breaking the rather tense atmosphere that had surrounded them.

“You… Well, you have a point. We aren’t going to get anywhere just standing here. Let’s go, Inizio.” Chris realized the situation, starting to walk ahead of the two.

“Ah, just Aria would be fine.”

From the moment Aria met her teacher, she was given the role of class president and was called as such by everyone, including her. It was the first time Chris had ever called Aria by her name, even if it was just her last name.

* * *

The lights had returned just a few moments ago, though barely bright enough to help them see where they're going.

“Anyway, this here’s the commander room—“ Chris said, standing in front of a metal door.

The group of people in black who escorted them there had all left, leaving Chris, Elfnein, and Aria alone.

“Oi, Tachibana, here she is—”

A loud sound interrupted Chris just as the three stepped inside.

_*POP*_

“Welcome!”

The lights suddenly turned on followed with a burst of confetti, raining all over her. 

“Ah…” The woman who blasted it realized who she did it on.

“…Oi, idiot. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Chris asked, her voice strangely calm even though blood veins could be clearly seen on her face as if they about to pop from anger.

Just like the confetti that covered her.

Aria took that moment to look around the room they were in, taking in the new surroundings.

Decorated to the brim, it looked more like a low-budget party room rather than something befitting the name of “Command Room”.

A large banner that said “WELCOME TO S.O.N.G. ARIA!” in big, fancy letters was hanging off the wall in front of them.

“Heh…A welcome party, huh?” Aria thought.

She then returned her focus back to the two women, who were at the engaged in some sort of one-sided wrestling match.

“Ouch ouch ouch, that hurts, that hurts Chris-chan!” The familiar short-haired woman let out her voice in pain.

“You should have told me first if you wanted to do something like this!” Chris ground her fists onto the poor girl in her grasp.

“Well, I wanted to keep it as a surprise, so I…”

“Kuh…kuhahahahahaha!” Aria suddenly burst out laughing seeing the scene in front of her.

The lively atmosphere they were having then had completely blown away all of her tense feelings.

She was worried they would be stricter to her since she refused their help once, but seeing the scene before her, it seems like all of her worries were for naught.

Seeing her laughter, everyone else in the room also bloomed a smile, the two's quarreling had already stopped their antic.

Hibiki, who had finally been released from her comrade’s grasp, came up to Aria and reached out her hand for the second time.

“Welcome to S.O.N.G., Aria-chan. Let’s work together from now on, okay?”

“…Yeah.” Aria returned the handshake, a happy expression on her face. 

She had taken her first steps into a whole new world…

And with these people around her, maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as she thought.

* * *

August 2, ???  
???

“I am terribly sorry for my failure, Arthur-sama. To think there would be someone who was able to utilize the system—No, I have no excuses.” A man kneeled on the floor, facing a figure sitting on a throne in front of him. “Please, I accept whatever punishment you have in mind.”

The knight in blue held his gaze low, unable to face his master.

“Raise your head, Gawain.” The woman on the throne spoke.

“Yes.”

Her face was covered in darkness, and as such he couldn’t make out her expression at the moment.

“This fight… This war has just begun. You’ll have more opportunities to redeem yourself then. Now, go and prepare the next step of our plan.”

“…Yes, my lord.”

Next to the throne, a man wearing a white coat stood with his arms crossed, a mocking smirk on his face as he watched the knight leave.

"Now then, let us start our opera. The **overture** has already begun."

* * *

**EXTRA** : Aria caught red-handed...


	4. Overture, Part 2

August 3, 9:13  
Rumiko’s house

_Ding dong_

Futamo pressed the doorbell to her friend’s house.

In her hand, she held a plastic bag filled with snacks and mangas.

A short moment later, the front door opened, and a middle-aged woman came out to greet her. 

“Ah, Futamo! Did you come here to see Rumiko?” The woman spoke up.

“Yes. Is she home?”

“She’s inside. You must be worried because she didn’t go to school yesterday, right? I’m sorry about that, she just came down with a fever, you see.” The mother said, sadly.

“Oh…”

“Don’t just stand there, come in. Rumiko would be delighted to see you.”

The woman walked inside, followed by Futamo.

After she put her shoes onto the rack, she was met with a question.

“Say, where’s Aria?”

“…She has some stuff to attend to, so she couldn’t come.” Futamo answered bluntly.

She still had mixed feelings about the situation but tried her best to not sound rude.

“That’s unfortunate. You can go to Rumiko’s room first, I’ll go prepare some tea.”

* * *

August 3, 9:32 A.M.  
Inside the submarine

“And this is the research room.” Elfnein gestured her hand inside, full of various kinds of machinery.

Aria took a look around, thoroughly impressed.

“…Woah.” Aria gasped.

For some unknown reason, she felt as if she’d seen a similar room somewhere in the past, but pushed the thoughts away as insignificant.

There were many different types of machinery inside the room, and she even saw a mechanical arm lying on a workbench situated at a corner.

She tried her best to hold back from touching the machines since she knew better not to do anything that she would regret later, but the urge persisted.

Looking around for a while, something caught her eyes.

A body. No, a robot. Or what looked like it.

She recognized her.

From yesterday's event, she was the same one who gave her the device.

Aria had thought a lot about the event in the morning and came to speculation that the mysterious girl who appeared was some kind of high tech robot.

“…Why is she here?” Aria asked, her face slightly darkened.

“...we brought her back for examination after the incident. She seemed to be some kind of android.” Elfnein explained.

“Android? Like robots with humanoid appearance?”

“Yes. We tried to access its memory database to see where she was made or who made her but to no avail. All of her data was erased the moment she stopped working.” Elfnein explained.

“Oh…” Aria had hoped to at least know something about the one who gave her the device.

“Speaking of which, can I examine your pendant for a moment, please?”

“Huh?” Aria was confused. “What pendant?” She didn’t remember owning any kind of pendant items, and she was definitely not referring to her toy pendants.

“Eh? How did you transform into your Symphogear then?” 

“Ah, so that’s what she was talking about.” Aria thought, then proceeded to take out the device from her bag. “You mean this Driver?”

“Driver?” Elfnein was confused by the word Aria just said, her eyes fixated on the device on the girl’s hand.

Everyone else in the vicinity had taken a curiosity at the device as well.

“Can I take a look at it?”

“…Sure.” Aria handed the tiny scientist the device.

“Hmm… I’ll be borrowing it for a while. You are free to walk around the place or go back home if you’d like to. We can arrange for you a car to take you back.”

“Thank you but I’d like to stay here a bit longer.”

* * *

August 3, 9:48 A.M.  
Submarine’s break room

“Hah…” Aria let out a sigh.

Sitting on the couch, Aria tried to relax.

“My life has suddenly gotten more hectic, hasn’t it? What is Futamo doing right now, I wonder? And Rumiko, too.” She thought to herself.

“...And who was that man?”

Aria remembered the blonde knight.

He seemed to know her, so if they ever met again, she wanted to ask him some questions. After beating him up, of course.

So she hadn’t talked to anyone about him yet.

The room’s door opened, revealing the cream-haired commander.

“Ah, Aria-chan. I’ve been looking for you.”

“What’s the matter, Mrs. Tachibana?”

“You can just call me Hibiki. I’m not used to being called formally like that.”

“Hibiki…-san. I’m sorry, I don’t think I can go further than that in order to not sound rude...”

“That works as well.” Hibiki went to the counter next to the bench.

“Would you like some coffee?” she asked Aria, turning on the coffee machine.

“Yes. I’d like mine to be sweet please.”

“Seems like we have the same preference then.” Hibiki chuckled.

A few minutes later, the two cups were done.

But when she picked up the cups with her hands, her right hand suddenly released the cup it was holding, dropping it onto the counter.

The hot liquid splashed everywhere, most of it onto her right arm.

“...Ah. I’m sorry, that was clumsy of me... Let me clean it up.” The commander reached for a cleaning cloth with her left hand.

“Please let me help you.”

Aria stood up from the couch and went over to the counter.

As she picked up the shattered remains of the cup, she noticed Hibiki’s right arm was still drenched in the hot coffee, yet the commander didn’t seem like she was in much pain at all.

Feeling Aria’s stare, the commander looked at Aria’s line of sight and saw her arm.

“Ah! Ooh! That’s hot! Ah!...” Hibiki turned away, faking her pain while she cleaned up her arm.

“Your right arm… Is it-” Aria had her question cut off by a peculiar feeling.

It was the same feeling she had felt the day before, and plenty of other times.

Aria had regarded this feeling as something akin to her “sixth sense”, and it had managed to save her life multiple times in the past.

As if agreeing with the notion, the siren blared across the submarine, followed by an announcement,

“Noise signals detected! Commander Hibiki and all of the Symphogear users, requesting your appearance at the command center immediately!”

Hearing the siren, both of them quickly moved towards the exit, but Hibiki quickly held Aria back.

“Hibiki-san, what are you doing?!” Aria was surprised by Hibiki’s action.

“Wait, before we go, tell me. Now that you have the power of a Symphogear, what do you plan to do with it?” Hibiki suddenly hit her with a question.

“Huh?” Aria hadn’t taken in what Hibiki was trying to do yet.

“What are you going to use your power for?” The commander had a serious look on her face.

Aria fell silent.

“...To save as many people as I can. To become someone that will come to others’ side when they need my help.” After a few seconds, she spoke up. “...A hero. I want to become a hero. That is my life goal.” 

In order not to experience what she felt in the past...

She would do **anything** to achieve it.

Hibiki looked at the girl with surprise and astonishment.

Truthfully, Aria reminded her of a certain man who was obsessed with becoming a hero that had caused her and her friends a lot of trouble in the past, but Hibiki pushed those thoughts away.

“Aria isn’t like him, right?” She thought to herself as they continued their way to the command center.

* * *

August 3, 10:07 A.M.  
Command center

“We’re here. What’s the situation?” Hibiki entered the room and ordered.

“The Noise has appeared again. The location of appearance is near a residential area.” Sakuya said as he opened up a camera view of the area.

“…!!! This place is…!!” Aria was the first one to recognize it, “Futamo’s in danger!”

Aria quickly dashed away.

“Wait, Aria!” Chris, who was in the same room, yelled towards her student who was already gone.

* * *

August 3, 10:07 A.M.  
Residential area

“Hmm… I wonder if this is enough to make lunch for Aria… What’s she doing right now…”

Futamo said to herself, letting out a sigh. Returning from her visit to Rumiko’s house, she went to a convenience store to buy some items.

She hadn’t met Aria since she saw her leave this morning.

She wanted to meet her again soon.

Holding bags filled with food ingredients, she was on her way back home before her train of thoughts was interrupted by the siren blaring in the distance.

“Warning! Noise signal detected nearby! All residents please quickly move to the closest bunker immediately!”

“N-Noise?! Now?!”

A feeling of dread ran across her body.

Run.

She had to run.

With the thought occupying her mind, she sped up, running towards the nearest bunker.

But her route was soon blocked by falling debris caused by the Noise.

Looking behind her, rows of Noise that rose through magical circles appearing on the ground blocked the way.

There was nowhere for her to escape.

“Is this the end for me?” The brown-haired girl thought, facing a life-threatening situation with seemingly no way to get out.

No. She couldn’t die here. Not now.

She quickly turned to the route with debris and climbed it.

Meanwhile, Aria managed to get to the Noise-infested area on foot, and was met by a group of Noise blocking her way.

“Get out of the way, you damn mooks!” She yelled as she reached for her device, just to find nothing.

“Eh? Eh?! Where is-… I left it with Elfnein-san...” Searching around her own body, she came up with nothing before remembering that the little scientist girl had borrowed the device.

“Shit! This is just a repeat of yesterday, isn’t it?!” Cursing herself, she looked around her surroundings,” But I’m not the same as the me from yesterday!” Aria said as she grabbed a broken pipe nearby, intending to wield it as a weapon.

“I’ll be coming for you, Futamo! Hang in there!”

* * *

August 3, 10:10 A.M.  
???

“Arthur-sama, is it wise to let them act right now?” A blonde man in armor asked.

He spoke to the woman with a tone of respect and a hint of spite, but the woman didn’t seem to mind.

“Don’t worry. This is the perfect time for them to act. Besides, I want to see how she would fare against them. A little exercise wouldn’t hurt, no?” She answered with a playful tone.

“...Understood.” The man lowered his head as he walked back to his original position.

“This is merely the warm-up. Let’s see how you’d fare against the,...my beloved...” The woman said, her words trailed off at the end.

* * *

August 3, 10:15 A.M.  
Residential area

Aria smashed through the Noise and quickly moved forward.

Her clothes already had tears all over, yet her body seemed to be completely fine.

She had managed to dodge most of the attacks of the Noise, and those that hit disintegrated her clothes where their glowing arms touched.

Despite her continuous looking, she wasn't able to locate her friend’s whereabouts.

“Ahhhhhh!!!” A piercing scream entered her ear.

Looking around her surroundings, she quickly found the source of the scream and ran towards the destination.

A house had collapsed due to the damage caused by the Noise.

Digging through the debris, she managed to find a small girl, luckily unharmed.

She had a brown mid-cut hair with light pink butterfly clips on the sides of her head.

“Hey, you! Are you ok?!” Aria shook the girl’s shoulders lightly but there was no response. The girl had lost consciousness.

“Tch!” Finishing pushing away all of the debris that was holding onto the girl, Aria carried her on her back towards a safer place.

Still looking around for her friend while carrying the girl on the back, the gray-haired girl suddenly had an extremely bad feeling.

The arms that were wrapped around her neck suddenly tighten their grip, choking her.

“Guh!!” Aria struggled to breathe, “You…!?”

The girl behind her started talking, “Big sister, I would recommend you to stay silent and die right here for me.”

As Aria tried to peel the arms away from her neck, she felt a feeling of dread and, surprisingly, a feeling of excitement.

* * *

Managing to escape, Futamo continued to run.

But everywhere she went, Noise kept on appearing blocking her ways after one another.

She turned at a corner and finally met a dead end.

Slowly backed into a corner, she made a last desperate attempt to fight back by throwing the ingredients and items that she bought at the Noise, but it was futile.

She had nowhere to run now.

But, she couldn’t die here.

She needed to be by Aria’s side, to be her pillar.

That was her **purpose**.

“Huh?” As Futamo was confused by her own thought, from the sky suddenly something shot down with high speed, piercing through one of the Noise.

The Noise that was pierced dissipated into red smoke, revealing to Futamo’s the object that fell from the sky: a spear.

Then came a person, landing in front of her.

“Yo. Did you wait long?” The woman spoke, her ruffled vermillion hair flew in the air.

* * *

**_Extra: Chris Yukine Ichaival Rebuild II_ **  
  


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